Greetings and Salutations!

 Hello Everyone!

 David and I have decided to start a blog together. We are still deciding what exactly it will have in it, but while we do, we figured we'd just jump in.

  A little info for those of you that don't know us. We were married in September of 2019 in Kenilworth, NJ. I am from Central Jersey while David is from Long Island. We met at The Ezekiel Project Seminars in 2015, started dating 2 years later, and are now happily married and figuring out life as we go along. 

 So far our first year of marriage has been a year of traveling. We spent a week long honeymoon at Lake Placid, in Upstate NY, were living on Long Island immediately following our wedding for about 7 months, then moved to Camp Iroquoina in Pennsylvania where we will be for just under 4 months, and are now located in Michigan to continue our schooling/training with TEPSE (The Ezekiel Project School of Evangelism).  

A few things we have learned in that time...

 Men and women really do speak 2 different languages: Especially with me as an artist and David with his mechanical mind, it has been a learning curve to figure out how best to communicate and make sure we have both heard the other, what they have said, and what they are asking in the communication. 

  That chocolate does not fix everything: For this gal, it's all about my mood. For this guy, if it's past 7 o'clock there is no telling when bedtime will actually be once chocolate is consumed. That more is definitely not always better: This was discovered when sorting through necessities going to Michigan and what we really did and did not need to bring (so sad for my adorable and useful garlic press)

 Time and commitment management: 

 That we are better together, but too much is just too much. Figuring out how important different commitments and activities are to the both of us and what we can reasonably do has also been a learning curve.

 That giving 100% in a relationship does not have to be hard, but is a choice.

  And that's all for now!

 We'd love to hear from you...thoughts, concerns, serious concerns as needed, and suggestions. Ideally we want this to be a fun and engaging place where connections can be made.

Porcupines and Butterflies and Deer, oh my!

 This summer at camp we have had the unplanned opportunity of a uniquely experiencing the northern Pennsylvania land in a new way...with a limited human foot print. Oh how the lovely sound of children laughing, chatting (and occasionally screaming) was missed but in its absence the wildlife thrived! It was a lovely Sabbath year for both I'm sure the land and the creatures, and there were many to be seen. 

For those of you not as familiar with the Old Testament, the Sabbath year was a year of rest, once every seven years by the Lord where the land and it's inhabitants were to rest from farming the land. Where the nutrients could replenish and the Lord would bless them, not through their own labor but His provision.  Despite the uncertainty that came with COVID-19, this was a visible year of Sabbath rest for us at the camp...though there was certainly work to be done. 

That said, for those who may be interested. A list of animals that poked their little...or not so little noses out was collected over the summer for our fun and now hopefully for you enjoyment/amusement. 

List Animals include:

Birds
Birds all of kinds - and I wish I knew my Ornithology well enough so that I could name them all to you!
Chicks
Dove
Ducklings and Mamma Duck
Eagle
Gold Finch
Hen
Rooster
Sparrows
Woodpecker
Wild Turkey

Insects
Ants - by which David was very impressed with given they were all "friendly" compared to Honduras' fire ants.
Bumblebee
Butterflies - they seem to like David a lot!
Carpenter Ants - at some point flying in swarms.
Caterpillar
Cicadas - David knows them as "chicharras"
Crane
Crickets
Fireflies
Flies
Grass Hopper
Wasps

Fish
Bass
Blue Gill
Sunnies

Mammals
Bat - one of which managed to interrupt one of our Bible studies when decided to come into the Red Room and then fly tirelessly looking for the exit!
Bear
Chipmunk
Deer - we were able to see a mother deer and her fawns grazing peacefully throughout!
Gofer
Hare
Orange Cat
Porcupine
Rabbit
Raccoon

Reptiles
Garter Snake - a common, harmless North American snake that typically has well-defined longitudinal stripes and favors damp habitats.
Turtle

Miscellaneous
Gastropod 
    Snails
     Slugs

There seem to be a story that accompany almost every encounter with these wonderful creatures those follow up stories would be most likely published soon. How great of an experience it is to observe God's creation and be a witness of His displayed wisdom. I am reminded of the Psalm that says "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" Ps. 24:1.

Bible Reading - Food for the Soul

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. ~ Psalms 119:105

 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ~ Matthew 4:4

Such encouraging words that the words of the Lord as recorded in the Scriptures are given as both a guide and as sustenance to our soul. 

So encouraging.

So simple.

So hard...as a daily practice. 

At the beginning of the summer I began working on a new structure for reading through the Bible. As much as I would love to just discipline myself to read right through it, there are some books I really get stuck in...Psalms and Isaiah being two of them. I've heard of a variety of methods which I thought were quite clever and made a lot of sense...

• Chronologically (As opposed to the order presented in a bound Bible)
• Using mirrored sections (Old and New that flow well together or mirror each other such as Genesis 1 & John 1)
• Reading 4 Psalms and 1 Proverbs a day for a dose of wisdom
• 5 minutes a day..."rain or shine"
• The Bible on CD (or your preferred media of choice) while in the car

...and there are many others. 

I started to create section groups such as doctrine of the Epistles, end times prophesy, teachings of Jesus and history of the church...each section of which there would be an aiming of finishing it in about the span of a month. To be honest I got distracted with daily life (again)...and then came to school where they are having us read through the Bible in 9 months, and yes there is a grade involved in it. Thus David and I have taken to reading together, usually in the mornings, in part to help keep us both on track.

Although I am not especially a fan of having the grade be the deadline, it has certainly been helpful keeping us accountable with our goal.

What are your experiences with implementing a daily Scripture reading, and your favorite method to do so?

Egg in a Mug...a new Sunday Tradition

In our house (trailer, apartment, etc.) we are all about choosing to order things to make things as easy as possible...and when possible to make them work for you. In my case this is especially true of breakfasts. 

I am noooot a morning person, and David is only passably so when the need arises. This means that breakfasts get prepped ahead of time so that all that is required is the occasional pour of milk or water, toasting of bread or the microwaving of whatever warm breakfast is sitting in the fridge waiting to be enjoyed. 

Sundays, however we have started a new tradition of having an Egg in a Mug. For those of you who may not be familiar, this is basically a super quick, almost fool proof hack where you add all of your favorite omletty ingredients to a microwave safe mug, mix them together, set the timer and voila!

A part of this also is that David has made a point of making me breakfast on Sundays (high score on the husband points!). So at camp we often went out separate ways when it came to the business of the day...yes that's possible with so few of us here, and now in school we have homework coming out of our ears, but it's his way of seeing how much harder mornings are for me and helping me in a special way. 

For those who may be interested here's our go-to recipe...at least at the moment.

Egg in a Mug

Ingredients

• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 C Crushed Bacon
• 1/4 C  Cherry or Grape Tomatoes (cut in half)
• A few shakes of Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or a cheese of your choice)
• Spices to taste: Salt, Pepper, Garlic (powdered or minced), Oregano

Edit: Since moving to Michigan, the bacon and tomato have been replaced with equal parts chopped green pepper and onion, very helpfully found all pre-chopped in our local grocery store's freezer section. 

Directions

1. Prep bacon & tomatoes, measure, and add to the mug. Add spices, and microwave for 1 minute per mug. 
2. Remove mug from the microwave, crack the eggs into the mug & add cheese. Beat until combined and return to the microwave for 2 minutes, 30 seconds.

Note: I like using pre-cooked/crumbled/frozen bacon and pre-cut/frozen tomatoes. Bacon takes way too long for a quick breakfast and tomatoes wilt way too fast in my opinion. This allows for a super easy and long lasting ready-to-go breakfast.

Optional Substitutions/Alternate Ingredients: 

• Tofu for Eggs
• Salsa for Tomatoes
• Sausage or Sun-dried Tomatoes for Bacon (or omit altogether)
• Nutritional Yeast for Cheese
• Spice of Choice for Oregano